Air conditioning system



*W. L. FLEISHER AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM July 19, 1938.

Fii ed Oct. 51, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' INVENTOR- WALTER L- F/c/sfiel? BY ALMMSA/ ATTORNEY.

July 19, 1938. w. FLEISHER 2,124,290

' AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 31, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jul 19, 1938 UNITED STATES OFFICE f 2,124,290 I CONDITIONING sYs'rEM r i :Walter L. Fleisher, New City, N. Y.

Application oaths. 31, 1934, Serial No. 3:50.169 'l (01. 2615-115)- This invention relates to air conditioning syssistance to theflow of air is provided at different tems, and more particularly to methods of and points in'the apparatus. Thus, the air stream is means for producing and maintaining desired automatically proportioned so that different per atmospheric conditions in enclosures. centages thereof contact with-the various sprays 5 The principal object of the invention is to and this makes for a simple method of condi- 5 provide a system. for conditioning air," in which tioning prescribed portions of a single air stream all air handled bythe systemv isv treated for to difierent degrees. purposes of temperature and humidity regula- 'A further feature covers the regulation either tion, and which assures delivery to the enclosure of a cooling medium under summer conditions, of air at a predetermined temperature and relaor a heating medium under winter conditions 10 tive humidity. V fed to a series of sprays serving to cool and In accepted air conditioning practice, it is usual dehumidify or heat and humidity an air stream to condition a volumeof air by passing the air passing through the apparatus, responsive to load through a cold water'spray or over surface coolers conditions affecting-the conditioned area served through which a-suitable refrigerating medium by the apparatus. a 1

is circulated. The treated air is thereby reduced Another feature provides for washing all of to a temperature below its dewpoint, and its the air handled in aconditioning system, even excess absolute humidity precipitated. This air though-all of the air is not reduced below its will then be too cold for comfort, and also, at a dewpoint under summer operating conditions. relative humidity of about one hundred per cent, Thus, precipitation of dirt and dust is assured, 20 i. e., substantially saturated. Since this air caneven though the final temperature of the air is not safely be introduced directly into the room at a relatively comfortable level. or enclosure constituting the conditioned area, Further advantages covering simplicity i 0011- it must bereheated. The reheating is ordinarily struction, ease and economy of operation, and accomplished in accordance with present acefiectlveness of control, will be more apparent -26 cepted practice, by adding to the conditioned from the following description of a typical form air a volume of air from ,the enclosure under of carryin o the invention. o b 'r d in c n-- proper regulation, As lt, t m mlx- 'nection withthe accompanying'illustrative drawture is formed at a comfortable temperature] ings, in w 30 higher than that of the conditioned air and at 'F'l 1 illust tes di a t a air 3 .a proper'relative humidity, lower than that of diti n g y t m n w ch a ri f al the conditioned air, sprays are'employed in a washer through which A feature of ''he invention resides in the conall air handled by the system is p e ditioning of all instead of part of the air handled 2 st a s diagrammatically vin fragby an air conditioning system, wherein all the mentary form. a modification of-the sp y' ar- 35 air'passes through one or more series of sprays, rangement utilized in Fig. 1; and

and yet,-the final condition of the air is com- Fig. 3 is another modification in which the fortable. In achieving this result, applicant'armethod of control embraces desired regulation ranges his sprays so that different sprays will of spray temperat res in different p ay che 40 serve predetermined portions of the cross-secbers or stages. '1

tional area of the conditioning apparatus. Thus, Fi 4 is an elevati nal view of the embodiment one series of sprays may be arranged to extend P Fig- 3. fully across the apparatus; another, to serve a "Considering the. drawings, numeral 4 designates cross-sectional area only two-thirds across; a an enclosure slleh t t S o a oad third, only half across and soon. car, or home, served by an air conditioning sys- 45 Another feature of the invention, therefore, tem' shown to the left of the enclosure. The resides in the provision of sprays preferably made apparatus includes a conditioner 5 having an outup of finely divided particles of fluid refrigeratdoor air intake Band return air intake 1, dampers ing mediumso arranged that different sprays 8 and!) being're'gulated either manually or autowill-to varying degrees condition different pormatically to control the volumes of air entering 50 tions of a total volume of air handled by a uniconditgiper jnthrougn' said passages. Fan l0 taryair conditioning apparatusr Also: by pro delivers the conditioned air to the enclosure and viding a' combination of sprays covering different returns air from the enclosure to the conditioner cross-sectional areas of the same apparatus through return passage or passages II. A suitthroughwhichalltbeoirflowaavaryin: reeblerelloiorexhaustmaybeprovidedtopermit an amount of air to escape from the enclosure equivalent to that admitted through dampers 8. In the conditioner 5, a series of spray headers l2, l3, l4 and I5 are provided to which conditioning medium from any desired source is suitably fed through inlet conduit l6 and common feed line H. Under summer operating conditions, the medium will usually be refrigerated water supplied by a refrigerating system of required capacity and character. Under winter operating conditions, water of suitable temperature will be admitted upon the opening of valve I8 to header l9, so that the sprays 20 may be utilized for humidification purposes. Eliminators 2| remove entrained moisture from air discharged to the fan, and reheater 22 to which steam or other reheating medium is supplied under the control of valve 25, is utilized under winteroperating conditions, in the usual manner.

Considering the operation of the system of Fig. 1 under summer operating conditions, thermostat or other suitable control instrument 24 responds to changes in atmospheric conditions in enclosure 1, and causes valves I211, I311, Na and [5a to operate to admit refrigerant from conduit I! to the corresponding spray headers I2, l3, and IS. The valves are designed to open under diiferent pressures. Thus, [2a may be designed to open under a pressure of 3 to '7 pounds. l3a will open under a pressure of '7 to 10 pounds. a will be operative under a pressure of 10 to 13 pounds; and I 5a, under a pressure of 13 to 16 pounds. Assuming that conditions in the enclosure require a greater degree of cooling and dehumidification, the valve l2a will first open, thus admitting cold waterto the sprays served by header i2. As may be noted in Fig. 1, header I2 is positioned diagonally across the washer; and while one header is shown, it should be understood that a series of interconnecting headers l2 may be provided, so that the washer from top to bottom will be served by sprays similar to the single row of sprays shown in Fig. 1. Of course, for small enclosures, it may only be necessary to use a single header with a single row of sprays, as shown in Fig. 1. As the, depth of the casing 5 increases, a plurality of headers l2 in parallel,

one above the other, would be provided. However, whether one header l2, or a plurality of headers I! in parallel, one above the other, are used, is of no consequence, since the principle employed is the same; The result is that all air passing through the washer will be treated by the sprays from header l2. As the load in enclosure 4 increases, thermostat .24-will cause a greater air pressure to flow through line 25 so that valve l3a will then open, admitting refrigerating fluid to header l3. This will continue until sprays M and I5-also become operative, if required. The washer is designed to take care of peak load conditions, and under less than peak load conditions, it will not be required to utilize all the sprays. However, if any conditioning is required at all, the sprays from header I! will first be utilized, thereby assuring treatment of all air passing through the washer.

It will be noted that when sprays additional to those of header I! are used, they cover a crosssectional area of the washer less than that covered by 12. As a result, some of the air will only pass through .l2, whereas another portion will pass through the sprays from 13; a still'smaller portion will pass through the sprays from H; and a relatively minor portion will pass through the sprays from i5. Consequently, the air which the air which passes through the sprays from V headers l2 and I 3; and similarly, the air passing through three series of sprays will not be as intensively conditioned as that portion which passes through all of the sprays.

While the control will assure making operative additional series of sprays covering varying crosssectional areas of the washer as conditions in the enclosure vary, the sprays themselves also have a regulating efiect upon the conditioning of the air fed to the enclosure. For example, when header l2 alone is operative, all the air will pass through the sprays, but not all of the air will be reduced below the dewpoint. The medium fed to the sprays, such as cold water, will be at a desired dewpoint, but the volume of spray water compared to the fan capacity is so arranged that under the condition when spray header I2 alone is operative only a desired percentage of the total volume handled by the fan will be dehumidified. The remainder of the air will not be reduced below the dewpoint, and hence, will serve to form a mixture with the dehumidified portion higher in temperature than the dehumidified portion, and lower in relative humidity. Similarly, as additional sprays are cut in responsive to a rising load, the degree of conditioning of different portions of the single air stream will become greater, but the remaining portions will not be so intensively conditioned, and hence, the final temperature of the air entering the fan will be above the temperature of that portion which has been dehumidified below the dewpoint. Also, due to the diagonal arrangement, the resistance to the passage of air becomes progressively greater from the bottom to the top, or from side to side, of the casing as shown in Fig. 1, so that that portion of the air which is not so intensively conditioneddoes not as intimately contact with the sprays, and hence, is not conditioned to the same degree as that portion which, by reason of greater resistance, will not flow so rapidly through the sprays, and due to the difierence in resistance, more air will pass through the less conditioned section to regulate the final condition of the air leaving the fan. This provides a greater percentage of reheating air in the final mixture which is what is required under normal operating conditions.

' In Fig. 2, a modified form is shown wherein headers 26, 21 and 28 fed by a single source of conditioning medium through conduit 29, are arranged in V-form. While the V-form is used, it is apparent that semi-circular, or other forms of headers may be employed to achieve the same result. Thus, the air passing along the sides of the washer in the bands marked 30 will not be as intensively conditioned as those portions passing through the bands 3|, which, in turn, will not be as intensively conditioned as the air passing through the'middle of the V-formation. Similarly, the resistance to the air streams in bands 30 is least, and progressively grows greater towards the center of the conditioner. In operation, header 26 will first be cut in, whenever conditioning is required. All air going through the washer will thereby contact with the sprays, although, as pointed out in connection with Fig. 1, not all of it will be dehumidified to the same extent. Similarly, as in Fig. 1, headers 21 and 28 will become operative as the load in the enclosure increases, thus calling for a cooler condition of the airfed to the enclosure.

The control in Fig. 2 75 is made as to specific form of control. Any arrangement which will cause headers 21 and 28 to I receive refrigerant as the load conditions in the enclosure increase, and to be'cut out of service I inversely as the load conditions decrease. is within the purview of the invention.

In Fig. 3, the washer is provided with stages 34,

"35, 36 and 31. Valves 38, 39, 40 and 4| will reoperate under a pressure of 3-? pounds, and the other valves will operate at progressively higher pressures. Cold water or the like, from the refrigerating source-will first feed'into stage .3 4

could ronow that of Fig. 1, although no limitation through inlet 42 until it reaches a desired. level under the control of .a suitable liquid level device. It may then" fiow into stages 35, then to 36, and finally to 31, and then back to the refrigerating source through overflow outlet 43.- The sumps of stages 35, and 31' are at progressively lower levels, so that the liquid may flow by gravity through overflows from one stage to the other. Assuming that the load increases in the enclosure, thereby requiring conditioning of air, valve 38 wouldfirst open, causing water to be drawn from the sump of stage 36 and de-' livered to sprays 3812. Asthe loadiurtherincreases, sprays 39b would be cut in, and similarly,

sprays 40b and 4"). when all sprays are cut in,

" the sprays 4ib-would receive the coldest water, the sprays 40b water not so cold, and so on, the

sprays 38b receiving thewarmest water. Thus, in

this arrangement, the warmest air will first meet the warmest sprays, whereas that portion of the [creased in direct proportion to thedegree it;- is

air which is further conditioned will meet cooler which passes through sprays 381) only, will serve conditioned'portion of the air. which passes through the other stages too. The partitions 44 extend from the bottom of the washer to form. confining walls for sumps in the diflferent stages. The eliminators 45 and sprays rise above the level oipartitions 44 to the top of the washer. The

eliminators 45 are provided in each stage. so

" sprays, and so on through the. stages- ,Conse-.- quently, the air least conditioned, i. e., that air that the resistance to the flow oi! the air is inconditioned. While partitions 44 between adjacent stages; enables an overflow iromnone' stage For resistance control or more of the dampers may be opened, partially opened, or closed, to control the resistance to new of air through difierent portions of the washer. While the invention is particularly adapted for to the, other, no overflow takes place from the" last stage except through conduit 43 which provides an opening below the top of adjacent par-' tition 44 of stage 31.

' use in the field ofcoiiditioningforhuman comfort, it may be employed with equal success in cona temperature and ditioning ot'air for industrial purposes. The

control of different banks of sprays and of resistances to how oi-air through varying portions to humidity and/or temperature conditions in the enclosure. The air would then be delivered at relative interpreted as illustrative to the industrial requirements of the activity carried on in the enclosure.

Since certain changes in carrying out" the above process and in the constructions set forth, which embody the invention maybe made without'departing from its scope, itis intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be and not in a limiting sense. v

I claim:

1.- In an apparatus vfor establishing a stream of air flow, means for spraying a portion of said air stream with conditioning medium, other means for spraying a greater portion of the air stream with condition-. ing -medium, and means for circulating conditioning medium through said first-mentioned spray means and then through said second spray means. I

' 2. In an apparatus of the character described,

means for establishing a stream of air flow,

means for forming a plurality of banks of spray, difl'erent of said spray banks being. arranged to contact withand condition different portions of said air stream, means for circulating conditioning medium through said spray banks in series, said spray banks being arranged so that diilerent portions of the air stream pass through different numbers of spray banks, saidspray banks and said circulating means being arranged supplying conditioning medium to each f,said headers, each of said headers extending substantially in a straight line throughout its length and each of said headers being disposedat an acute angle to the direction of travel of said air stream, at least' one of said headers being arranged to provide a bank of :spray affecting all portions of said air stream, at least another of said spray -1 headers being adapted to provide a bank of spray ailecting a portion only of said air stream, and means for mixing different portions of said air stream. subsequent to the passage of said air stream through said spray banks.

4.'1n an apparatus for conditioning air, means for establishing a stream of air flow, a plurality or spray header means, each oi said header means being *adapted to provide a bank of spray, meansior supplying' conditioning medium toeach of said header'means, at least some of the spray header means being disposed at an acute angle to the direction oi travel of said air stream, at least one of said header means being arranged to provide a bank of spray affecting all portions of said air stream, at least another of said spray header means being adapted to provide a bank of spray aiiecting a portion only of said air stream, and means tor mixing diflerent portions of said air stream subsequent to the passage 01- said air stream through said spray banks.

5. In an apparatus for conditioning air, meansior establishing a stream of air fiow, a plurality of s'prnyheader means, each of said headerineans for conditioning air, means" I of, spray headers, each of. said'headers being.

as a reheating medium for the more intensively 'fadapted to provide a bank of spray means for humidity best helngadapted'topmvide abanioisprammeansionlt supplying conditioning medium to each of said header means, at least some of the spray header means being disposed at an acute angle to the direction of travel of said air stream, at least one of said header means being arranged to provide a bank of spray aflecting all portions of said air stream, at least another of said spray header means being adapted to provide a bank of spray afiecting a portion only of said air stream, means for mingling the different portions of said air stream subsequent to passage through said spray banks, and means for selectively controlling the supply of conditioning medium to difierent of said spray header means.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 in which said means for selectively controlling the supply of conditioning medium to said spray header means includes control means actuated in response to variations in air conditioning load requirements.

' 7. In an apparatus of the character described, a casing, means for passing a stream of air through said casing, first spray-forming means for subjecting all portions of said air stream to intimate contact with sprayed conditioning medium, other spray-forming means for subjecting a portion only of said air stream to intimate contact with sprayed conditioning medium, and means for supplying to said difierent spray-forming means conditioning medium at different temperatures.

WALTER L. FLEISHER. 

